Early Days of Radio
What do ingenuity, scaling four-story buildings, and a Scientific Club have in common? The birth of radio at Concordia College. In March 1921, Concordia’s Scientific Club formed and one of their chief concerns was radio reception on campus. The club raised money to purchase needed equipment for their venture by showing movies on campus. By February 1922, the club secured enough funds to purchase antennas that were then placed on top of Old Main and Academy Hall, enabling Concordia to receive broadcasts from Chicago and other places across the nation. Shortly thereafter the club replaced equipment in order to both send and receive broadcasts. With the addition of a loud speaker, these broadcasts were projected to engaged audiences in Old Main’s auditorium. The first program aired from campus was a debate between the Concordia and Jamestown College forensic teams.